Yes it was a happy Christmas, quiet, peaceful and full of fun and love. Many gorgeous presents so very spoiled though feel I failed on the present front by not getting the right things, showing not much imagination although I will say they were very well wrapped and most individually as I used my old paintings! Must do better in future.
Gorgeous Chanel perfume from Beloved Sister, smashing trainers and lots of things to keep me warm including a hooded fleecy nightgown! Wonderful. Of course, have written all my thank you cards on Boxing Day and subsequently lost them before actually posting them. It takes years of training to be so special.
Beloved Sister came down from Scotland on a flying pre-Christmas visit (and nearly got washed away in the storm on her way home the next day) and made us a fabulous meal and spent a boozy giddy night with us. We laughed so much, it was the greatest fun.
Beloved Daughter and boyfriend spent Christmas Day with us - an exhilarating walk through the woods on a crisp, sunny and sparkling day. Hattie the Smellie loved it too and now thinks this will happen every day. Ahem...well, no. Good simple untraditional meal, wine, Scrabble. All good. Beloved Husband slept most of day but woke up sufficiently to eat and go to pub!
We saw absentee friend and other friend from reading group on Saturday which was also good fun and giddy. Wish she could get a job back up in the north-west though as it is really hard to see her and catch up with all her news as we used to. Good meal though in Grinch; must take Beloved Sister when she comes up in January. Also to Jamie's for reading group. Oooh, I can just feel the pounds barrelling on yet again - and little exercise over Christmas, too. Note to self - must work harder.
Cats all good until Sunday when Twinkle (the kitten formerly known as Stevie) developed a nasty limp. Thought she might have broken her leg but the vet (unable to hide a smirk at calling out her name - though he did tell us that he had a cat called Princess on his list - and he diagnosed cellulitis. Mmmm, not cellulite or anything like it (think it means "between the tissues" but could be wrong) but a really nasty infection which could easily develop into blood poisoning so administered a heavy dose of anti-biotics via an injection to a rather dejection looking Twinkle. He said probably a result of being bitten by one of the feral cats in the neighbourhood. They are so uncouth.... Then tiny tiny pills twice a day. Oh I remember how hard it was to do this when they were tiny. Need a blowpipe and a whole salmon to dangle in front of her to distract her. Anyway, the injection produced spectacular results after a day spent snoozing on Beloved Husband's chest. Quite the young active fighting cat again, thank goodness.
Much like the injection I had yesterday to protect against shingles to which I am more than accustomed and would like to be without, if that state can be achieved. We shall see.
So little exercise, not too much food but most of the food has been unhealthily full of fat, sugar and TASTE, thank God. No dumb-bells for Christmas so shall make do with arm exercises carrying tins of beans. If I remember. But at least I have done some painting though nowhere near what I should have produced. manana, manana.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Another long pause in the blog due to? well, life, I expect
What's been happening? I lose the plot so much these days that I may repeat myself or totally forget to itemise something that happened. Here goes:
Beloved husband getting slightly worse. Doc prescribed anti-depressants (who isn't on them these days?) and iron pills. Iron pills are a pain in the ass because you can't drink milk with them which meant mucho orange squash - yuk. BH tried anti-depressants for over three weeks during which time he slept like a hibernating bear ie about 20 hours a day, and his memory went completely off. When told of old friend's death, he couldn't even remember old friend. Have dispensed with these horrible things and in less than a week, he is trotting off with the smelly dog on the field (slowly, it is true, but nevertheless in the fresh air and getting some exercise) and his memory is improving. Not wonderfully, but much better.
He decided exercise would help him in the form of a Revitive muscle thingy much advertised by the likes of Ian Botham and Judith Chalmers (was worried he would become as wrinkly as dear old Jude but that's not happened yet), and so we had a protracted set of arrangements with Boots to pay for and order the damned thing and then, instead of next day delivery, had to wait five days for same. First results were not impressive but he did rather go at it like a bull at a gate. Some fine tuning necessary but it's quite fascinating to see his old piggies go from grey to pink in a matter of three or four minutes. It's also some kind of TENS machine so although £200 plus, seems worth it. Beloved Sister may try it on her next trip as it is said to be most effective for diabetics.
Speaking of Beloved Sister, she is set for a flying visit just before Christmas and will spend one night with us at least before returning to Scotland and Dear Bro-in-Law (for whom I must buy prezzie pretty quickly). Another longer visit scheduled for end of January - woohoo - get the wine in and the venison...
Also on the exercise front, have been getting to grips with the next harder round of circuits for which I pay £1 per class (rest is funded by Mental Health thingy - quite apt) and it's money well spent. Monday's class takes place in a rather gorgeous old Victorian swimming pool building with stained glass windows and interesting architecture (not like the LEGOLAND boxes so beloved by current architects and local authorities - philistines all). Of course Manchester City Council wants to demolish it and replace it with a LEGOLAND box - wonder how many local councillors have stakes in the building firms producing these nightmarish edifices?
Anyway the class consists of people with many different complaints and they all try so hard to do the circuits, some of them have oxygen tanks in little bags on their backs - really sad but heartening that they ARE trying and getting such good benefits from it.
Thursday's exercise class takes place outdoors in a local park where the council have been persuaded to spend a very small sum installing 6 pieces of apparatus on which our physio Ruby works us like boot camp. A different set of patients at this class and they all seem to benefit from the fact that it is outdoors and that we are all being punished in the same way! The great thing about this is that I can keep going as long as I like because Ruby can take as many people as can be accommodated in the park whereas the other class finishes for me at the end of January - things are done in three month tranches, but not Ruby's class. Am certainly feeling the benefits of it and really appreciate what is being done for me. So much so that I have requested some Barbie dumb-bells for Christmas to keep up with the arm curls, etc.
Mad Best Friend? She's off to America to spend Christmas with her eldest son, the one who does cancer research in Atlanta. later she may get to go to Slovenia where her daughter has just had a little girl. She seems to be doing really well though she is finding the wig very trying and itchy.
Beloved Sister and Bro-in-Law? Both appear to be well. Sis is enjoying her new job as manager of a charity shop (dear God, what goes around comes around - my ma would be laughing her socks off - she loved a rummage sale and paddling round second hand shops). the job at the Co-operative was much more physical in hauling trolleys of food and drink around a warehouse with a 1 in 5 gradient and the rota system was totally bonkers. At least in the new job she has more autonomy and is having more fun, it seems to me. Bro-in-Law says things still all ok with his job, but his Christmas leave has just been cut into as the rugby club have many functions at this time of the year. So not all good.
Most Beloved Daughter? All well though currently suffering chest infection, sinus trouble and general travel malaise. Job sends her all over the place with no real regard for cost or logic. Commonsense badly lacking in commerce these days. She is still painting, knitting, reading etc etc and exercising so all good. New house very nice, warm and cosy. She just needs to get log shed built to take all these logs from our place.
Our house? Wood stove taken out and toasty gas stove installed in its place - hurrah!! Forgotten how cheerful and cosy the appearance of a fire is. Feel sorry for anyone with no fire in their living room, must be quite dreary.
Also some new kitchen units installed including a new sink unit, thank God. Also decorated. Hallelujah!! Bathroom sink changed and new security lights in process of installation. Living room due to be decorated before Christmas. Oh my Lord, I must have died and gone to Heaven.
May even get rid of fork lift truck in back garden and brick up nasty old gates.....who knows.
Cats? Boris and Stevie are incredibly naughty and cute. Boris fell in pond the other day but he wasn't too dismayed by the experience, his main preoccupation being in drying off his bits! He also tunnelled under the eaves and floorboards emerging screaming and dusty after Most Beloved Daughter rescued him. Two of his nine lives gone. Ah, cats.
Beloved husband getting slightly worse. Doc prescribed anti-depressants (who isn't on them these days?) and iron pills. Iron pills are a pain in the ass because you can't drink milk with them which meant mucho orange squash - yuk. BH tried anti-depressants for over three weeks during which time he slept like a hibernating bear ie about 20 hours a day, and his memory went completely off. When told of old friend's death, he couldn't even remember old friend. Have dispensed with these horrible things and in less than a week, he is trotting off with the smelly dog on the field (slowly, it is true, but nevertheless in the fresh air and getting some exercise) and his memory is improving. Not wonderfully, but much better.
He decided exercise would help him in the form of a Revitive muscle thingy much advertised by the likes of Ian Botham and Judith Chalmers (was worried he would become as wrinkly as dear old Jude but that's not happened yet), and so we had a protracted set of arrangements with Boots to pay for and order the damned thing and then, instead of next day delivery, had to wait five days for same. First results were not impressive but he did rather go at it like a bull at a gate. Some fine tuning necessary but it's quite fascinating to see his old piggies go from grey to pink in a matter of three or four minutes. It's also some kind of TENS machine so although £200 plus, seems worth it. Beloved Sister may try it on her next trip as it is said to be most effective for diabetics.
Speaking of Beloved Sister, she is set for a flying visit just before Christmas and will spend one night with us at least before returning to Scotland and Dear Bro-in-Law (for whom I must buy prezzie pretty quickly). Another longer visit scheduled for end of January - woohoo - get the wine in and the venison...
Also on the exercise front, have been getting to grips with the next harder round of circuits for which I pay £1 per class (rest is funded by Mental Health thingy - quite apt) and it's money well spent. Monday's class takes place in a rather gorgeous old Victorian swimming pool building with stained glass windows and interesting architecture (not like the LEGOLAND boxes so beloved by current architects and local authorities - philistines all). Of course Manchester City Council wants to demolish it and replace it with a LEGOLAND box - wonder how many local councillors have stakes in the building firms producing these nightmarish edifices?
Anyway the class consists of people with many different complaints and they all try so hard to do the circuits, some of them have oxygen tanks in little bags on their backs - really sad but heartening that they ARE trying and getting such good benefits from it.
Thursday's exercise class takes place outdoors in a local park where the council have been persuaded to spend a very small sum installing 6 pieces of apparatus on which our physio Ruby works us like boot camp. A different set of patients at this class and they all seem to benefit from the fact that it is outdoors and that we are all being punished in the same way! The great thing about this is that I can keep going as long as I like because Ruby can take as many people as can be accommodated in the park whereas the other class finishes for me at the end of January - things are done in three month tranches, but not Ruby's class. Am certainly feeling the benefits of it and really appreciate what is being done for me. So much so that I have requested some Barbie dumb-bells for Christmas to keep up with the arm curls, etc.
Mad Best Friend? She's off to America to spend Christmas with her eldest son, the one who does cancer research in Atlanta. later she may get to go to Slovenia where her daughter has just had a little girl. She seems to be doing really well though she is finding the wig very trying and itchy.
Beloved Sister and Bro-in-Law? Both appear to be well. Sis is enjoying her new job as manager of a charity shop (dear God, what goes around comes around - my ma would be laughing her socks off - she loved a rummage sale and paddling round second hand shops). the job at the Co-operative was much more physical in hauling trolleys of food and drink around a warehouse with a 1 in 5 gradient and the rota system was totally bonkers. At least in the new job she has more autonomy and is having more fun, it seems to me. Bro-in-Law says things still all ok with his job, but his Christmas leave has just been cut into as the rugby club have many functions at this time of the year. So not all good.
Most Beloved Daughter? All well though currently suffering chest infection, sinus trouble and general travel malaise. Job sends her all over the place with no real regard for cost or logic. Commonsense badly lacking in commerce these days. She is still painting, knitting, reading etc etc and exercising so all good. New house very nice, warm and cosy. She just needs to get log shed built to take all these logs from our place.
Our house? Wood stove taken out and toasty gas stove installed in its place - hurrah!! Forgotten how cheerful and cosy the appearance of a fire is. Feel sorry for anyone with no fire in their living room, must be quite dreary.
Also some new kitchen units installed including a new sink unit, thank God. Also decorated. Hallelujah!! Bathroom sink changed and new security lights in process of installation. Living room due to be decorated before Christmas. Oh my Lord, I must have died and gone to Heaven.
May even get rid of fork lift truck in back garden and brick up nasty old gates.....who knows.
Cats? Boris and Stevie are incredibly naughty and cute. Boris fell in pond the other day but he wasn't too dismayed by the experience, his main preoccupation being in drying off his bits! He also tunnelled under the eaves and floorboards emerging screaming and dusty after Most Beloved Daughter rescued him. Two of his nine lives gone. Ah, cats.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)